Africa

Africa

Ghana committed to ban all forms of tobacco ad, promotion

01 June 2013 00:12 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Ghana's Minister of Health Sherry Hanny Aryittey said here Friday that her ministry and its partners are committed to ensuring a comprehensive ban on all forms of tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

In a statement to observe the 2013 World No-Tobacco Day, Aryittey said the measure was in conformity with the World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).

"We urge all the agencies of the Ministry of Health, the media, Ghana Education Service, the civil society and all other stakeholders to counter any interference from the tobacco industry as we implement a comprehensive ban on all forms of tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship," she said.

The statement also appealed to Ghanaians to learn about the cunning and unscrupulous marketing techniques used by the industry to trap people into using tobacco.

"We call on the civil society to denounce all types of interference from the tobacco industry, help to educate the public about manipulation through the tobacco industry's marketing strategies," she said.

The WHO and its collaborating partners have set aside May 31 every year as World No-Tobacco Day to highlight the health risks associated with tobacco use and to advocate for effective policies to reduce tobacco consumption globally.

The ultimate goal is to protect present and future generations not only from these devastating health consequences, but also from the social, environmental and economic scourges of tobacco use and exposure to tobacco smoke.

The WHO says tobacco use is the single most preventable cause of death globally and currently responsible for killing one in 10 adults worldwide.

It also estimates that over six million people die yearly from tobacco use and over 90 percent of these tobacco-related deaths occur in developing countries, especially in sub-Saharan Africa.

Ghana's effort in tobacco control over the years has yielded positive results but much still needs to be done.

Through administrative directives, Ghana has long banned tobacco advertising, forcing the tobacco industry to use other ways to advertise their products.

Retail channels have become increasingly important for the tobacco industry.

Some tobacco companies offer free samples of their products, other gifts, redeemable coupons or discounted products to young people, whether they are smokers or not.

They also use entertainment products like movies because they have enormous reach and impact popular culture.

To address these challenges, Ghana joined several other countries to ratify the FCTC, the first and only international treaty on public health developed by the WHO and its collaborators, and now has the obligation to implement the relevant articles of the convention.